6 A PEEP AT 



pathj with the annexationists. As Mr. Stevens ap- 

 peared to know little or nothing of Newfoundland, I 

 gave him, so near as I can recollect, the following 

 information. Newfoundland is an island, 350 miles 

 long, and 200 broad. It is the last land near the 

 continent, on this side the Atlantic, and about 1900 

 miles distant from the nearest part of Ireland. It 

 contains a population of 100,000, scattered along the 

 sea-coast, the greater part of whom are engaged in 

 the cod fishery. The population are wholly English, 

 Irish and Scotch, their descendants being the natives. 

 One half the population are Roman Catholics. The 

 other half are Protestants, comprising the following 

 denominations : 35,000 Episcopalians, 14,000 Meth- 

 odists, 400 Congregationalists, and 500 Presbyterians 

 of the Established and Free Church of Scotland. It 

 is the oldest colony of the British Crown in America, 

 having been discovered by Cabot on the 24th of June, 

 1497. It has no interior settlements, and but few 

 roads leading more than eight or ten miles into the 

 interior. Almost every family has from one to twenty 

 acres of land surrounding their dwelHng, from which 

 they raise their vegetables. The land, however, is 

 very poor ; not a particle of loam is to be found in 

 the island. The forest consists of pine, larch, spruce, 



